Attraction
by Dragonflys-Girl
Summary: What to do when attracted to someone you shouldn't be attracted to? [KateGibbs] Gibbs' POV finally!
1. Secrets

Title: Secrets  
  
Author: Claudia J. Chan (Claudie)  
  
Disclaimer: Characters from the NCIS do not belong to me. They are properties of Belisarius Productions, Paramount Network Television, DPB and CBS. but sometimes I do wish they were mine!  
  
Spoiler Alert: mild references to all episodes aired, especially on "Yankee White" and "Sub Rosa"  
  
Note: I know in the show there is nothing between Gibbs and Kate. not even any hints, but I do love to mess with their love lives.. :-P . I'm a die- heart shipper.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Hey, Kate, are you leaving yet?" Anthony asks when he shuts off his computer and starts packing up. "Gibbs has gone home already, you know. No need to pretend you're working."  
  
"Leave me alone, Tony," she snaps without looking at him.  
  
He stands there, looking at her, and when she continues to ignore him, he shrugs and says before he walks out of the bullpen, "You gotta get a life, Kate."  
  
Once she's alone in the bullpen, Kate puts her head down on her desk and groans. For the past hours, she's been reading - pretending to read, actually - the same page of the report. Has Tony walked closer to her desk, he would have noticed the up-side-down report. Thank God he hasn't. She would never live it down.  
  
She needs time, alone, to think about what is happening to her. It's been almost a week since she's gone down to the submarine with Gibbs, and it's been a quiet week, which has become more torturing for her as it gives her more time think.  
  
Damn the man for being so sexy. She doesn't blame herself for being attracted to him though. She figures she won't be the only one in the NCIS population. If she were to be honest to herself, she is attracted to Gibbs since the first saw him. She realized the man is a jerk most of the time, but he is capable of caring. The way he hugged her when he confirmed she was indeed innocent unnerved her.  
  
She concludes she probably would have a much easier time forgetting about the hug had she not been put in such close proximity with him during the emergency blow in the submarine. It wasn't intentional, and when she first landed in his arms, she thought of moving away. But the force of the rapid movement of the sub has made it more difficult - that, and also because she enjoys being in his arms too much.  
  
His smug remarks have sent her mind racing. Gibbs and his innuendoes are constantly driving her to insanity. She has to remind herself ever so often to not think too much into these things.  
  
His innuendos are not the only things that make Kate crazy. She has resigned the fact that she cannot stop herself from admiring his broad chest. What she didn't know before the emergency blow was how secure it makes her feel.  
  
Kate has always been a strong willed woman and a mild feminist, and she doesn't care much about being in men's arms that much, but she had to admit it feels good to be in his arms, and she won't deny herself that chance whenever it presents itself.  
  
And the shirt he wore when the air conditioning was turned off. She was about to scream when she saw how nicely the T-shirt outlined his chest and his muscles. Thank goodness it was hot in the cabin and he didn't notice she was blushing.  
  
"I don't even know him that well," she tells herself. "How can I be so attracted to him even though I hardly know him outside of the office?"  
  
Her logic tells her it's stupid to be so attracted to her boss, especially after she had to resign from the Secret Service because of her previous relationship. Apparently, her heart has not learned the lesson well.  
  
"What can you probably see in him?" her mind asks. "He's a jerk most of the time, so arrogant and impolite. What do you see in such a man, Kate?"  
  
"Why are you still here and why have you turned off the lights?"  
  
She literally jumps at the voice and starts to curse, "Do you have to do that?" she demands.  
  
"Well, isn't it a natural question to ask, considering it's almost 9 already?"  
  
"Tony said you've gone home hours ago," she shoots him a look. "Besides, I can always ask you why you're here now."  
  
"It's not your problem," Gibbs states simply. "Now, why are you here?"  
  
"It's not your problem, either."  
  
"Kate," he sighs loudly. "Why are you here this late? I know for a fact that you usually don't stay that late. You're usually gone by 8:30 at the latest."  
  
"And how do you know that?" she is still not willing to give up.  
  
"Because I come back at night almost every night, and sometimes I just waited until you left the office before I came in here."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"That's all you have to say?" he sounds surprise. "No smart come-backs? Nothing?"  
  
"I am not all that predictable, Gibbs," she retorts as she stands up and starts packing her things away. Her best strategy to not make a fool out of herself is to leave as soon as possible.  
  
"Yes, you are," he smiles when she stops packing for a second and glares at him. "See?"  
  
"Gibbs, please leave me alone?" she finally asks. She needs to get out of here, and be quick about that. If he keeps asking her all these question, she might very well blurb out her secrets - and that will not be a pretty thing.  
  
Without saying anything, Kate walks around him and try to leave the office.  
  
"Kate, what are you keeping from me?" He grabs her arm when she passes by and swings her around. "I know something is wrong, so you better tell me about this."  
  
"Is this an order from my boss?" she challenges, "because as far as I know, my boss has no place in my private life." Only she knows how wrong that statement is. She has constantly thought about him in her private time, and that he sure does have a place in her private life."  
  
"Kate, you don't have you to be so stubborn," Gibbs sighs and lets go of her hand. He watches when she starts moving away. "I can be asking because I'm your friend and I do care about my friends, you know?"  
  
She stops as he finishes, but keeps her back at him. Yes, she is his friend. Sighing, knowing Gibbs won't give up, Kate turns around to look at him. "There is something you can never help, Gibbs, and that includes the way I'm attracted to someone I shouldn't be attracted to."  
  
He looks puzzled for a moment, "Why shouldn't you be attracted to him?"  
  
"Because he's my boss," she says, turning away, defeated, and walks away from the stunned man in the bullpen. 


	2. Maybe

Title: Maybe  
  
Author: Claudia J. Chan (Claudie)  
  
Genre: G/K - A(angst), and slight R(romance)  
  
Comments: I'm at Claudie_chan@telus.net, and on MSN lady_peach@msn.com  
  
Archive: Well.. I usually archive my stories on but then. they don't have a section for NCIS yet. so... but if you're interested in archiving mine, feel free to do so, but please drop me a line so I can visit and feel great. ^^  
  
Disclaimer: Characters from the NCIS do not belong to me. They are properties of Belisarius Productions, Paramount Network Television, DPB and CBS. but sometimes I do wish they were mine! I don't make money off it. so, please. don't sue me.  
  
Spoiler Alert: mild references to all episodes aired, especially on "Yankee White" and "Sub Rosa"  
  
Timeline: After "Sub Rosa" but before "Minimum Security"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Gibbs rubs his forehead trying to ease his headache. He's tired form a day's work, but he refuses to break his ritual of going back to the office when it's deserted to reflect on his day. This has been his habit since his relationship with his first wife has become too unbearable and staying under the same roof with her would just be torturous. Now, he needs the solitude the empty office offers just like he needs his morning coffee.  
  
The lights are off when he steps out of the elevator. Checking his watch, he notes that it is past 9. No wonder this is so quiet and dark here, he muses. Kate has gone home already.  
  
He comes to an abrupt stop when he is in the entrance to his bullpen. There, sitting at her desk, is Caitlin Todd.  
  
Damn this woman. Shouldn't she be gone already? She rarely stays past 8:30. Unlike him, she probably has a life outside of this office.  
  
Then why is she here today? And why hasn't she turned on the lights so he will know to avoid coming in until he's seen her out of the building?  
  
"Why are you still here and why have you turned off the lights?" he tries to use his most authoritative voice.  
  
He is mildly amused when he sees how startled Kate is at his questions. Apparently, she hasn't heard him come in.  
  
"Do you have to do that?" she asks testily. "Tony said you've gone home hours ago. Besides, I can always ask you why you're here now."  
  
"It's not your problem," he says, getting more amused by the minute. "And when have you started believing in information given out by Dinozzo? Now, tell me. Why are you here?"  
  
"It's not your problem, either."  
  
Man, this woman can be stubborn when she wants to, and right now, she is definitely not going to make this easy for him.  
  
Why do you want to know anyway, Jethro? He asks himself. He doesn't know the answer to that, but strangely, he doesn't want to stop.  
  
"Kate," he sighs, much because of her stubbornness and slightly annoyed of himself for wanting to know. "Don't make me ask for the third time. I know for a fact that you usually don't stay that late. You're usually gone by 8:30 at the latest. If something is wrong, if something is bothering you, I need to know it."  
  
"And how do you know that?"  
  
"Because I come back at night almost every night, and sometimes I just waited until you left the office before I came in here."  
  
Gibbs has no idea why he lets out that information. Very few know about this habit of his. The security guard downstairs, for sure. His sister, who loves to kiss him right on the mouth and drive this open-top convertible to pick him up several time a month, knows too because she has to drop him off at the office all the time after their get together. He hasn't told Dinozzo, or Abby, or Ducky, or anyone else - but he just told Kate.  
  
"Oh," her lips form the perfect "O" shape when she says that and he has to try very hard to suppress his chuckles, but he is surprised when fight seems to have left her after that comment.  
  
"That's all you have to say? No smart come-backs? Nothing?"  
  
"I am not all that predictable, Gibbs," she retorts as she stands up and starts packing her things away. It seems like she's running away and trying to hide things from him.  
  
"Yes, you are," he smiles when she does exactly what he thought his comment would do to her - have her stopped packing and glared at him. "See?"  
  
"Gibbs, please leave me alone?" she finally asks. It startles him to hear her ask, sounding so desperate and lost. She is in real distress, which only makes Gibbs more determined to know what's wrong.  
  
"Caitlin, what are you keeping from me?" He grabs her arm when she tries to walk around him and almost succeeds. "I know something is wrong, so you better tell me about this."  
  
"Is this an order from my boss?" she challenges, "because as far as I know, my boss has no place in my private life."  
  
"You don't have you to be so stubborn," Gibbs groans slightly. "I can be asking because I'm your friend and I do care about my friends, you know? I wanna help whenever I can."  
  
That does turn her around and seems to have changed her mind. Gibbs notices the uncertainty in her eyes, and silently asks himself if he indeed does the right thing by pushing her. He knows something is wrong, but maybe it's too personal to share? Surely she'll say so if that's the case, right?  
  
"There is something you can never help, Gibbs, and that includes the way I'm attracted to someone I shouldn't be attracted to."  
  
His heart skips a beat. He has a feeling - an intuition, really - of where this will lead to, and from the emotions he can see in her eyes, he is probably right. He has to make sure, "Why shouldn't you be attracted to him?"  
  
"Because I'm attracted to my boss," she says in a voice barely louder than a whisper and turns to leave the room.  
  
Gibbs literally freezes in place at the revelation, and by the time he has recovered from the shock, she has already fled the office area.  
  
Even though he is amazed by Kate's guts, the headache he felt when he comes into the office intensifies. He can no longer concentrate on reflecting upon his day like he planned, but is thinking about what Kate just told him.  
  
She is attracted to me, he thinks, and as much as he'd like to deny it, he feels a warm feeling bubbling inside him.  
  
But he shakes himself mentally.  
  
"You never learn, do you, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Haven't any of those divorces taught you anything? Haven't you learned that a relationship between two agents will never work?"  
  
Sighing exasperatingly, he tries again to focus on what he came back into the office to do, but after a few attempts, he finally gives up and resigns himself to think about the former Secret Service agent.  
  
Kate is so different from all those other women he was attracted to - not that he is attracted to her, he states to himself, and I'm merely analyzing things here. She is quick, and strong, and doesn't bent into anyone's will unless necessary. She is always the voice of reason in his hectic way of pursuing information. Sometimes, he even deliberately bents the rules just to see how she would respond.  
  
Knowing she is attracted to him does a lot for his ego. She is, herself, an attractive woman, not excessively thin like all those out there, but well proportioned and certainly with all the curves that screams feminine. And man, it definitely feels good to hold her in his arms.  
  
Now that he is sitting down and analyzing his actions, he realizes how the innuendoes just come out whenever he talks to Kate. He knows sometimes they make her uneasy, but he likes to see her just a little off balance, or ready to kill as sometimes the case. His favourite has to be after the emergency blow. Yup, her eyes were shooting daggers at him. He can feel it without having to look at her.  
  
He stops suddenly when he realizes where his thought is leading him. He is definitely no more successful in getting his mind to disregard Kate's revelation than when he started. If anything, he's only making it worse by thinking about her in ways that he definitely won't think of others on his team - like Dinozzo.  
  
Gibbs knows full well where this will lead him. He considers himself an expert in romance with fellow agents after his previous unfortunate encounters. He also knows that, right now, there will be enormous tension between himself and Kate, and he needs to talk to her, soon, just to get things clear.  
  
Maybe he should have just left her alone, after all.  
  
"Man," Gibbs mutters to himself when he picks up his things and leaves the office. "Don't you ever learn?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~* 


End file.
